Leadership / 03.04.20

Ticket Sellers Tell Congress They’d Support Federal Mandate to Disclose All Fees Up Front

Access Staff

ESPN (02/26/20) Thompson, Tisha

Three of the United States’ biggest ticket sellers told a congressional committee that they would support a federal mandate to disclose “all-in” ticket prices. This hearing focused on three common practices: speculative ticket sales, deceptive websites and hidden fees. Committee chair and New Jersey representative Frank Pallone (D), is particularly concerned about high fees. “Millions of Americans shop on the internet for tickets,” Pallone said. “In some ways, the internet has made this experience more convenient, but it has also led to consumers being ripped off as they try to navigate a ticketing industry that for too long has operated in the dark." Amy Howe, Ticketmaster Chief Operating Officer, told the House Committee on Energy and Commerce that the total ticket price “should be disclosed from the outset, not at the end of the purchase process” and encouraged “robust enforcement of this requirement.” Stubhub and AXS also would support “all-in pricing,” but Ticketmaster and Stubhub disagree on the issue of transferability. Pallone is pushing for passing the Better Oversight of Secondary Sales and Accountability in Concert Ticketing Act, a bill which has some bipartisan support. “I urge you to look at this from the customer’s eyes,” Texas Rep. Bill Flores (R) said. “If you did that, you wouldn’t be in front of this panel today.”

Read the full story from ESPN.

Tags: Ticketmaster , Regulations , News , StubHub